Charred and Tender grilled chicken spiced with a special blend of homemade taco seasoning can be grilled or cooked on the stove-top. It’s delicious in tacos, burritos, on salads, or for meal-prep!
Perfectly charred and crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, this really is the BEST Mexican spiced grilled chicken. It’s seasoned with my favorite blend of homemade taco seasoning. With the addition of garlic, lime, and olive oil, you’ve got yourself delicious chicken that’s great for tacos, burrito bowls, salads, wraps and just about anything else.
A batch of perfectly grilled chicken can go a long way. I like to season a few pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts and keep them in zip seal bags in the fridge and freezer. When needed, just pop a bag out of the fridge or freezer and grill on an outdoor grill or right in a pan on the stove top. Use it to make tacos, wraps, on a salad or rice.
Just like Chipotle, I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs rather than breasts because they are always tender and won’t dry out. Chicken breasts will also work for this recipe but be sure not to over-cook them. 
The Best Grilled Chicken For Tacos, Burritos, or Salads
Ingredients
- 1 pound Boneless, Skinless chicken thighs or breasts, we prefer thighs
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, optional
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon corn starch , optional
Instructions
- Add the chicken, garlic, olive oil, lime, spices, and cornstarch to a large bowl or zip-seal bag.
- Place in fridge and let marinate for at least 15-30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Place chicken on a grill or pan heated to medium-high heat. Let chicken cook until it is no longer pink on the inside, about 6-7 minutes per side (or until it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F).
- Serve chicken in tacos, burritos, on salads or rice.
Equipment
Our new go-to marinade! Great flavor but not too spicy (you could easily spice it up if desired) . We really liked the paste consistency, it did really well to coat the chicken and stay on while being grilled. Restaurant-quality look and taste!
We do Mexican food a lot for my family of 4. One of my kids does not like ground beef, so I am always looking for other meat options. This was perfect! Everyone loved it. I cut breasts into strips (about 4 per breast half) to get marinade on more surface area. I made 1 1/2 times the recipe for 2.5 pounds of chicken. It was plenty. They turned out perfect. This will definitely be in regular rotation in our house.
So glad you were able to make this work for your family, Holly! 🙂
This is one of the easiest and most flavorful marinades/sauces for chicken! I marinated chicken thighs for about 50 minutes for a last minute dinner. I grilled them up, chopped, and added to rice bowls with lettuce, pintos, avocados, tomatoes and cheese. My family LOVED them! Will definitely make again.
This was delicious! I added an extra tablespoon of lime juice,, but no other changes. I will definitely use this recipe again.
I made this last night for the family and we all enjoyed the flavor. I followed the recipe exactly, But, (Don’t you just hate it when someone completely changes the recipe and then continues to review it, especially if they don’t like the results. Like, I tried this chicken recipe but used cinnamon rolls instead and they tasted funny…. Well DUH!) I thought I had limes in the fridge but nope… So… I used margarita mix from costco (with the alcohol) I was thinking… yup, that’s mostly lime juice right? Turned out nice and moist even using chicken breast. Marinated for about 2 hours cuz I was running late, but I can see that an overnight in the fridge would be even better! This recipe is a keeper for my family. Thanks
This was SO GOOD, even though I messed up and used 1 TB instead of 1 TSP of cumin and paprika 😆 It was super flavorful to say the least. I did add extra olive oil and lime juice to sort of tone it down. I’m going to make it again very soon, and definitely more than 1 pound!
These were great! Will definitely save this recipe and make again!
I made this yesterday for Cinco de Mayo which fell on Taco Tuesday this year 🙂 My family DEVOURED this! The flavors are amazing. I let the chicken marinate overnight and seared/cooked it in a cast iron pan the next day. The cast iron pan created an amazing char. As some have commented, the spice blend comes together as a paste/wet rub rather than a wet marinade but don’t get caught up in technicalities. Just try the recipe – sooooo good!!
Absolutely delicious! The mix added the perfect flavor to our chicken for tacos.
It appears there has been some discussion on the mixture turning out to be more like a paste. This was my experience as well. I ended up adding a little more lime juice and olive oil until the consistency was where I wanted it to be (more like a marinade than a wet rub). I then used a zip lock bag to shake the marinade and chicken around until evenly distributed and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. Turned out amazing and will definitely be using it again!
Holy cow!!! My family LOVED this and couldn’t stop Raving about how delicious it was. I made ground beef and chicken for tacos and the chicken went so fast! I will never make chicken any other way again! A few minutes in the grill tops it all off. Can I say FLAVOR! And also this is exactly why my husband married me. Thanks for making me look like a chef! Forget packaged seasonings this is bomb!
I’m glad your family enjoyed the chicken, Tiffany!! <3
WOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! Holy crap. I feel like a chef! These were way better than I thought I could ever make. They seriously tasted like I bought it off the street! Thank you!
I followed the recipe as is, did not cut up the chicken before putting it on the grill, and used thighs which I thought made a big difference. I assembled the tacos as follows:
Shredded sharp cheddar (didn’t even need after trying another without and I put cheese on everything)
Chicken
Diced red onion
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Homemade pico de Gallo
Store bought salsa verde
I can’t wait to make these for a party!
These is my favorite way of grilling chicken too!!
I was reading through the comments trying to figure out how to make this a little bit more like a marinade without using too much more olive oil or lime juice and salsa verde is the answer! Thank you!!
Delicious. So much flavor but not too spicy and not too salty. My whole family loved it!
I changed this recipe a little so I feel funny rating it but it was a great starting point for me so I’m glad you shared with us.
I did use two tablespoons of oil, no optional ingredients and instead of your amounts for paprika, cumin and chili powder I did this:
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t chipotle powder
1/4 t of San Juan seasoning blend (like taco seasoning)
After 24 hours marinating, they came out delicious! Just the right amount of spice for us 🙂
Would the marinade be good for vegetables like broccoli and carrots along withe the chicken of course. And probably marinate separately?
Made these for dinner tonight ! They were amazing! Doubled the recipe -used 4 large chicken breasts used a butterfly cut. Marinated for about an hour. Here’s the rest of the story: used warmed flour tortillas, pan roasted red & yellow peppers and red onion; cut up jicama slices, fresh cilantro, shredded sharp cheddar, a dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime on each taco. AMAZING We have enough left over to make nacho’s tomorrow. As others have said, this is more of a wet rub vs a marinade, at first I didn’t think there would be enough but after smooshing around in the plastic bag it was plenty!! This is a new favorite for our family
Great flavors that stick to the meat!
Can you bake this in the oven? If so at what temp for how long?
350 on a rack for 15 minutes then flip and check temp after 10 minutes
This has become my go to grilled chicken recipe! I made it last night for chicken bowls and it was amazing! Question though, do you think this will taste good on steak? I’d like to marinate steak the same way using this recipe for tacos/burritos but I’m not sure that it’d come out right. Any suggestions? Do you have a recipe for steak?
I was wondering the same thing. I think I might literally try the same recipe on steak and see how it tastes.
Very delicious recipe. I had a lot of compliments from this recipe. I will make it again. It’s easy and flavorful.
I used chicken thighs, loved it it. I used it for burrito bowls. The kids are picky but they loved it!
Absolutely the best recipe I’ve tried so far for chicken tacos. I only changed one thing and that was to use smoked paprika. I put the leftovers on ciabatta buns with peppered bacon and spicy jack cheese slices. Sooo good!
I never leave comments, but this chicken is awesome. I also just rubbed IT in my already chopped chicken for TIME, and it was delicious.
SO happy you enjoyed it, Bob!!
THis was really tastY! I didnt have any limes so i didn’t use them, but i followed everything wise to a T. I felt weird wasting all the extra rub and chicken drippings in the pan so i deglazed it with chicken stock, added heavy whipping cream and some mild cheddar. It was So good that i just tossed all the chicken in it. 🙂
I love using this recipe when searing the chicken in cast iron. The corn starch is key in my opinion. also, I just sort of rub it on the chicken and don’t even bother to let it marinate. The best chicken tacos. ever.
Never left a review before, but this was immediately my favorite chicken recipe. Even my 5 year old loved it!
We loved this recipe. Can’t wait to try it on the grill
Do you cut the chicken before or after you cook it?
I cut it after i cooked the breasts on THE bbq.
I have one QUESTION do i have to pur oil on the pan when cooking it or nOt
If the pan is nonstick add a light drizzle of oil before adding the chicken.
THis is the best chicken recipe Ive Found yet. Every time i make it, it always Draws huge compliments from everyone.
If I want to make a big batch the day before a birthday party, do you think it would reheat well in a crockpot on the day of? Or do I have to put it back in a pan on the stove? I’m going for easiest but also want it to still be tender and not dry! 🙂
What did you end up doing? And, did it work? I’m doing this tomorrow. Hoping to warm it up in a crack pot to save space on the Stovetop. Thanks!
Amazing thank you!
At what Point do i cut the chicken up? before marinade, after, after cooking? thanks!
You can actually cut it before marinating or after cooking but we like to cook it after it has cooked and rested.
cut it after it has cooked and rested*
Approximately how many calories are there in one serving?
Forget thr calories, its yummy
This looks incredible – hosting a taco/burrito night at home and wondering if i should chop the chicken and leave warm in the oven or right before serving to ensure it stays moist. thanks in advance 🙂
I was looking for something easy to make with dinner last week for my family. My kids are 8 and 6. although they aren’t super picky, their palette is somewhat limited. They loved it. My 8 year old had three helpings! I’m making it again tonight.
Ive tried so many differeNt recipes and this is without any doubt the eaSiest and most importantly the very best tasting. I douBled everything and Used cayan in place of cumiN (i get a wierd reaction to cumin). I used everything, may try a bit more lime next time but thats just going to be a trial. I marinAted for about 4 hours iN a vaccume sealed bag.
I marinated boneless, skinless chicken breasts for two hours before grilling. They came out very juicy and flavorful, yet not too spicy for little kids! It was a real crowd-pleaser. One recipe was enough to cover two and a half pounds of meat.
Another reviewer seemed worried about the thickness of the marinade…it WAS pretty thick (I added both the lime juice and the olive oil), but it was the perfect consistency to actually stick to the meat and make a nice crust.
This is delicious! My go-to from now on. My husband grilled them on his green egg bbq and they were wonderful. super moist and the perfect balance of flavors. Thanks for the great recipe!
What is the cornstarch for? i don’t see it mentioned in the recipe directions. Thank you. I would like to make this for a football team dinner.
It fell under spices but I’ve corrected the recipe to mention it!
This is tHe best chicken seaSoning recipe i have ever tried. WhIle it is thicker Then a traditional marinade it flaVoRs the chicken perfectly. I have made it a few times and it has Become our go to recipe. I make a big batch of a few lbs and kEep it fOr Lunch salads and a quick Protein boost on training days. Love it!!
How is this a marinade? There is not enough liquid. It just forms a paste.
Have yoU tried it? Is this a conclusion you have come to based on your personal experience? I have friends that are just so uninspired and lazy that all they do is sit and blab about things they think they know about online and not actually making aNything wIth the information to challenge themselves or doing anything productive. I personally think recipes like this are the bomb dot com. The chicken’s juices meld with the spices and creates the most amazing flavor And this is based off different recipes iVe tried in the past when interested in making chicken tacos. In fact, That thought came to mind as well before actually trying iT, but i followed the recipe and wont do it any other way. Perhaps we should be *doing* more with our time than make baseless judgements. Just a thought. Xoxo
Thanks for your comment, I’m so happy YOU enjoyed the recipe <3
how is this a marinade, it seems quite pasty
Perfect flavors, yields tender and flavorful chicken!
Tried it on thighs first, doing butterflied breasts today. First time, doubled the recipe, I had 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice and used 1 Tbs limeade I had in the fridge to add the lime flavor. Used dried parsley as I didn’t have oregano…this came out amazing! I started in a large bowl, but decided to transfer to a ziplock to be able to mash the chicken around until it was all coated.
Today I had lemons so used that and followed recipe exactly, doubled again. Cannot wait to grill the chicken later! I will be eating this all week with salad, in tacos, cold right out of the fridge! 😆 It is so good.
I agree Heather, how can a tbsp of liquid (olive oil) be enough for a marinade. definitely a paste. thank you for posting
I’ll answer you rather than attack you or reward that attack as the blogger has chosen to do. This would actually be considered a”wet rub,” not a marinade, per se, although you do marinate the chicken in it. For those asking “why cornstarch?” it helps the spices stick to the meat and seal in juices.
thanks for answering my question. I thought maybe I missed a liquid ingredient
That is what I want to know. Is this a marinade or a rub?
Honestly made to specs this is more of a rub however I used 1/8 cup of oil and 1 1/2 of regular sized lime juice squuezed and it was a wonderful paste that stuck to the chicken drums (I accidently unthawed instead of the breasts I had planned on.) Either way just adjust your fluids. I made 3 times the amount for 14 large drumsticks and marinated for about 12 hours. The taste is amazing, will never go back to store bought seasoning again!